Kim Clijsters: A Career Profile of the Tennis Pro and Comeback Queen
On June 8th, 1983, in Bilzen, Belgium, Kim Antonie Lode Clijsters was born into a family with a strong sporting background. Her father, Lei Clijsters, was once a flourishing footballer and her mother, Els Vandecaetsbeek, was once a Belgian gymnastics champion. After years of sharpening her tennis nous, the Belgian entered the professional grid in 1997. In the junior circles, Clijsters distinguished herself with panache, triumphing at the 1998 French Open and U.S. Open juniors’ doubles events, and making it to the final of the year’s Wimbledon singles’ Championships.
In 1999, Clijsters came into her own after taking the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) Tour singles title in Luxembourg and the doubles title in Bratislava. That year, she also made it to the fourth and the third round of the Wimbledon and the U.S. Open Grand Slam events. The next couple of years saw Clijsters consolidate her position in the WTA world rankings. 2001 saw the Belgian make it to the French Open final, where Jennifer Capriati successfully saw Clijsters off at the initial Grand Slam final of her career. The following year, the Belgian landed the Home Depot Championships, overcoming Serena Williams in the final game.
2003 was a breakthrough season for Clijsters, where she bagged nine singles tournament trophies and seven doubles wins. She also reserved her place in two Grand Slam finals i.e. the French Open and U.S. Open, where she was outclassed by fellow countrywoman Justine Henin. The Belgian also made strong showings at the year’s Wimbledon and Australian Open tournaments, making it to the semifinals of both events. In August that year, she achieved the world number 1 ranking, a spot she held for 12 non-consecutive weeks. She holds the distinction of being the first player to be ranked at the top by the WTA without a Grand Slam (singles) title to her name. Clijsters concluded the year’s run ranked WTA world number two behind Henin.
In an injury dogged 2004 campaign, Clijsters built on last year’s performance to reach the finals of the Australian Open, where rival Justine Henin once more got the better of her fellow Belgian. Clijsters also pocketed the season’s Paris and Antwerp titles. After being laid off by injuries for almost a year’s stretch, Clijsters made a comeback to defend her WTA position in February, 2005. That year witnessed a resurgent Clijsters take the first Grand Slam title of her career at the U.S. Open, where she overpowered Franco-American Mary Pierce in straight sets. The Belgian also clinched nine WTA singles events that year, and wrapped up the campaign ranked world number two.
In 2006, Clijsters won three more WTA Tour titles. Although fitness issues frustrated her progress at various points during the season, the Belgian nevertheless found it in herself to make it to the Australian Open, Wimbledon and French Open semifinal stages. The Belgian made a winning start to the 2007 run, taking the title in Sydney before crashing out of the Australian Open to Maria Sharapova at the semifinal stage, marking the fourth consecutive occasion she had been dumped out of a Grand Slam semifinal.
In May 2007, Clijsters made public her intentions to bid farewell to the professional circuit; a decision she put down to fitness issues. In 2009, the Belgian announced her intention to resume her professional tennis duties. During her hiatus from tennis, much had changed for the Belgian; she was now married, had a baby daughter and in 2009, her father had died from lung cancer. Obtaining a wild card to contest the 2009 U.S. Open, Clijsters made history by winning the Grand Slam trophy by overpowering Caroline Wozniacki in the ultimate battle for the trophy. That year, Clijsters took her first Laureus World Sports Award, legacy of her remarkable U.S. Open comeback showing. The Belgian also seized the WTA Comeback Player of the Year trophy as well as the Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award. In 2010, Clijsters clinched the 36th WTA title of her career at the Brisbane International contest after demolishing Justine Henin. She also took the 2010 Sony Ericsson Open championship title in Miami, where she beat world number five Venus Williams in the final showdown. The Belgian looks forward to the 2010 U.S. Open clash which stands just around the corner.
Tags: